22 Scheduled Languages, 1,600+ Mother Tongues, One Incredible Linguistic Heritage
India is home to one of the most linguistically diverse populations on Earth — but also one of the most misunderstood, especially when it comes to questions like whether India has a "national language." This guide gives you the real numbers, straight from the Constitution and the Census of India, and links to deep-dive guides on every major topic: official languages, the 22 scheduled languages, classical languages, and the ongoing debate over the world's oldest language.
| Total languages in India | 121 (Census), ~19,500 mother tongues and dialects |
| Scheduled languages (8th Schedule) | 22 |
| National language | None officially declared |
| Official languages of the Union | Hindi and English |
| Classical languages | 11 |
| Most spoken language | Hindi |
| Oldest continuously spoken language | Tamil |
Source: Census of India 2011, Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner — "Paper 1 of 2018, Language: India, States and Union Territories (Table C-16)." Languages marked with * are the 22 Scheduled Languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The remaining 99 are Non-Scheduled Languages.
| # | Language | # | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assamese* | 61 | Koch |
| 2 | Bengali* | 62 | Koda/Kora |
| 3 | Bodo* | 63 | Kolami |
| 4 | Dogri* | 64 | Kom |
| 5 | Gujarati* | 65 | Konda |
| 6 | Hindi* | 66 | Konyak |
| 7 | Kannada* | 67 | Korku |
| 8 | Kashmiri* | 68 | Korwa |
| 9 | Konkani* | 69 | Koya |
| 10 | Maithili* | 70 | Kui |
| 11 | Malayalam* | 71 | Kuki |
| 12 | Manipuri* | 72 | Kurukh/Oraon |
| 13 | Marathi* | 73 | Ladakhi |
| 14 | Nepali* | 74 | Lahauli |
| 15 | Odia* | 75 | Lahnda |
| 16 | Punjabi* | 76 | Lakher |
| 17 | Sanskrit* | 77 | Lalung |
| 18 | Santali* | 78 | Lepcha |
| 19 | Sindhi* | 79 | Liangmei |
| 20 | Tamil* | 80 | Limbu |
| 21 | Telugu* | 81 | Lotha |
| 22 | Urdu* | 82 | Lushai/Mizo |
| 23 | Adi | 83 | Malto |
| 24 | Afghani/Kabuli/Pashto | 84 | Mao |
| 25 | Anal | 85 | Maram |
| 26 | Angami | 86 | Maring |
| 27 | Ao | 87 | Miri/Mishing |
| 28 | Arabic/Arbi | 88 | Mishmi |
| 29 | Balti | 89 | Mogh |
| 30 | Bhili/Bhilodi | 90 | Monpa |
| 31 | Bhotia | 91 | Munda |
| 32 | Bhumij | 92 | Mundari |
| 33 | Bishnupuriya | 93 | Nicobarese |
| 34 | Chakhesang | 94 | Nissi/Dafla |
| 35 | Chakru/Chokri | 95 | Nocte |
| 36 | Chang | 96 | Paite |
| 37 | Coorgi/Kodagu | 97 | Parji |
| 38 | Deori | 98 | Pawi |
| 39 | Dimasa | 99 | Phom |
| 40 | English | 100 | Pochury |
| 41 | Gadaba | 101 | Rabha |
| 42 | Gangte | 102 | Rai |
| 43 | Garo | 103 | Rengma |
| 44 | Gondi | 104 | Sangtam |
| 45 | Halabi | 105 | Savara |
| 46 | Halam | 106 | Sema |
| 47 | Hmar | 107 | Sherpa |
| 48 | Ho | 108 | Shina |
| 49 | Jatapu | 109 | Tamang |
| 50 | Juang | 110 | Tangkhul |
| 51 | Kabui | 111 | Tangsa |
| 52 | Karbi/Mikir | 112 | Thado |
| 53 | Khandeshi | 113 | Tibetan |
| 54 | Kharia | 114 | Tripuri |
| 55 | Khasi | 115 | Tulu |
| 56 | Khezha | 116 | Vaiphei |
| 57 | Khiemnungan | 117 | Wancho |
| 58 | Khond/Kondh | 118 | Yimchungre |
| 59 | Kinnauri | 119 | Zeliang |
| 60 | Kisan | 120 | Zemi |
| 121 | Zou |
*Denotes one of the 22 Scheduled Languages under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. Beyond these 121 named languages, there is a residual "Total of Other Languages" category (1,875,542 speakers, 0.15% of India's population) covering mother tongues that individually returned fewer than 10,000 speakers at the all-India level.
A full breakdown of the 121 Census-recognized languages, the difference between mother tongues and languages, and how India's four major language families break down by population.
India has no constitutionally declared national language. Here's what Article 343 actually says, and why the myth persists.
How Hindi and English function as the Union's official languages, and how each state chooses its own official language for local administration.
The complete Eighth Schedule list, its history of amendments since 1950, and what scheduled status actually provides.
All 11 officially recognized classical languages, the four criteria used to grant this status, and why it matters beyond symbolism.
Sumerian, Tamil, and Sanskrit each have a claim to "oldest" — depending on whether you're measuring written records or continuous living use.
BharatBhasha.org was created out of a simple fascination: India is home to one of the most linguistically diverse populations on the planet, yet reliable, easy-to-understand information about its languages is surprisingly hard to find in one place. Between outdated blog posts, conflicting statistics, and widespread myths — like the common misconception that Hindi is India's "national language" — we saw a need for a dedicated resource that gets the facts right and explains them clearly.
Our goal is straightforward: to be the most accurate, accessible, and well-organized source of information on the languages of India. This includes the official languages recognized under the Constitution, the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule, the 11 classical languages with their rich literary histories, and the broader linguistic diversity that spans thousands of mother tongues and dialects across the country.
Every article on this site is researched using publicly available and authoritative sources, including the Census of India, the Constitution of India, and publications from the Ministry of Culture. We aim to present information in a way that is easy to read — using clear explanations, quick-reference tables, and answers to the questions people actually search for — while staying grounded in factual, verifiable data.
BharatBhasha.org is an independent educational project. We are not affiliated with, funded by, or representing any government body, political organization, or institution. Our only objective is to help students, researchers, writers, and the simply curious better understand India's incredible linguistic landscape.
India's languages carry centuries of history, culture, and identity. We hope this site helps you explore that richness with clarity and confidence — one language, one fact, at a time.
BharatBhasha.org shares information about the languages of India, including official, classical, and scheduled languages recognized under the Constitution.
BharatBhasha.org is an independent, privately-run educational website and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Government of India, any state government, or any official body in any way.
The content on this site is compiled from publicly available sources such as the Census of India, the Constitution of India, and the Ministry of Culture, and is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we do not guarantee that all information is complete, current, or error-free, and readers should verify critical details from official government sources.